Help My Wife Regain Her Freedom

Hi everyone,

I'm setting up this fundraiser for my wife.

For the past 10 years, my wife has been living with ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), severe abdominal pain caused by adhesions, and POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). Her health changed dramatically after serious complications during surgery. Although she fought hard to rebuild her life, she has never fully recovered.

Over the last 12 months, her ME has progressed to a severe level. She now spends most of her life confined to bed, as even the smallest amount of physical or mental activity can leave her with debilitating exhaustion and a significant worsening of her symptoms. Everyday tasks that most people don't think twice about, such as getting dressed, taking a shower, or leaving the house, can trigger post-exertional malaise (PEM), the hallmark symptom of ME, leaving her feeling desperately ill for days or even weeks afterwards.

Alongside this, she also lives with severe abdominal pain from adhesions and POTS, which makes being upright difficult and adds to the physical strain of everyday life. Together, these conditions have taken away so much of the life she once had.

Something as simple as going for a walk, visiting family, or enjoying a trip out together has become almost impossible. Most days are spent looking out of the window, wishing she could be part of the world again.

We're raising money to buy her a powered wheelchair.

A manual wheelchair isn't a suitable option because the physical effort of pushing herself would make her ME significantly worse, and the repetitive movements would also aggravate the severe pain caused by her abdominal adhesions. A powered wheelchair would allow her to conserve the little energy she has, helping her leave the house while reducing the risk of triggering severe crashes.

This isn't about convenience. It's about giving her back a part of her life that illness has taken away.

A powered wheelchair would mean she could:

• Spend time outdoors without making herself dangerously ill.

• Enjoy days out with our family instead of watching from home.

• Attend appointments with less physical strain.

• Experience some independence and freedom again.

Like many families living with long-term illness, we simply can't afford the cost of a suitable powered wheelchair on our own. Every donation, no matter how big or small, brings us one step closer to making this possible.

If you're unable to donate, sharing our fundraiser would mean just as much.

Thank you for taking the time to read my wife's story. Your kindness, generosity and support mean more than we can put into words.

With heartfelt thanks,

Her husband